A magical hat-trick by Suphawut Thueanklang helped Bluewave Chonburi clinch the coveted AFC Futsal Club Championship Vietnam 2017 title after narrowly defeating Giti Pasand 3-2 in an enthralling final on Sunday.

It was no ordinary Sunday in Ho Chi Minh. At stake was the opportunity to solidify continental supremacy as the Championship prepared to crown new two-time champions.

With so much on the line, it was the Thais who threw down the gauntlet, carving out the first chance when Jirawat Sornwichian lofted a sublime cross for Suphawut Thueanklang who took the ball down with his left, before unleashing with his right.

In a scintillating contest between two equally matched teams, Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh then came close to snatching the opener, watching his right-foot shot go centimetres wide after Ahmad Esmaeilpour threaded a lovely weighted pass to slice open the Thai defence.

Giti Pasand threatened again two minutes later, Esmaeilpour recovering well from almost losing possession, to drive through the middle before dispatching a low drive matched only by the agility of custodian Katawut Hankampa.

Suphawut, who spent most of the competition in the shadows of teammate Jirawat, sent a timely reminder of his ability to rise onto big stage, testing Sepehr Mohammadi after connecting masterfully to Kritsada Wongkaeo’s kick-in in the eighth minute.

Eager to clinch his place in the record books, Suphawut then gave Chonburi the lead - capitalising from a woeful mix up by the Iranian defence in the penalty area to pounce home from close range in the 13th minute.

Seconds later, Chonburi extended their lead. Suphawut, the man of the hour once again through a unobstructured free-kick, after Giti Pasand were penalised for their sixth accumulated infringement.  

Giti Pasand then staked their claim to a comeback, roaring to grab their opener after Ahamd snatched the ball from Hankampa who made a mess of a seemingly harmless back-pass in the first eight seconds of the second-half.

Hassanzedah then send the Iranian bench into celebrations a minute later - the diminutive forward dispossessing Jirawat of the ball before putting his full weight behind his right-foot to complete the Iranians remarkable comeback.

But Giti Pasand’s celebration lasted mere seconds, after Apiwat Chaemcharoen did well to draw the Iranian defence with his individual trickery before teeing-off for Suphawut to unleash a right-footed cracker for his hat-trick.

Hassanzadeh then came close to the equaliser, driving the ball from his own penalty area to the opposition's, powering past the entire Chonburi defence before letting fly a low drive, but Hankampa came to his rescue.

With three minutes on the clock, the Iranian resorted to the power play, setting the stage for a nail-biting finale. Between pilling on the offensive to capitalising on the counter, the match saw a series of near misses, but somehow managed remain in favour of the Thai for a famous second title.

(Source: the-afc)